Friday, February 20, 2015

F3 Captain's Mess

One of the
highlights of Peter Flynn’s life aboard an Alliance Fleet ship was dinner with
the officers. It was a time when they could relax somewhat and enjoy what the
cooks had prepared, and the SuppO would often get something a little more
palatable for the senior officers. But it was still a military vessel, and
protocols were observed. Inevitably, ship’s business would come out, too, but
it was still a highlight of the day.

Now, on
board his own ship, with a hand-picked crew and without the formal regulations,
Flynn found he loved dinners even more.
First, they were no longer preparations by a handful of cooks on the
ship, but a contribution by nearly all of them. Though most of the food was vac-locked
into metal pouches or cans, they still needed preparation to have real flavor. Ann
had put together her spicy cornbread, Reese made a strange curry using
vegetables from Alpha Centauri III, and Flynn contributed a simple pasta with
tomato sauce. Simple dishes, comfort food, and the entire time they prepared,
they traded stories and acted as one.

And when they served dinner, the
stories and good times kept coming out as Ann shared how she got the cornbread
recipe from a male exotic dancer at Orion’s Spur. Reese dazzled them with the
stories of learning to cook while trapped in a safe house deep in Consortium
space. IN contrast, the story of Flynn’s mother teaching him how to cook his
grandmother’s pomodoro sauce was practically commonplace, but everyone still
smiled at the idea of a young Flynn sneaking extra sips of tomato sauce from
the pot because it tasted better than candy.